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Loved for its line of basics, Pact knows that going organic has benefits for consumers, farmers, and the planet. The brand's organic cotton clothing uses up to 81 percent less water than traditional cotton, avoids the use of chemicals, and is supremely softer than the alternative—a true win-win for everyone involved. Our personal favorites are the loungewear and sleepwear, engineered for all-day (and night!) comfort, leaving you feeling comfortable and confident.

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Kowtow offers a collection of everyday basics made from certified organic cotton. It uses a high proportion of eco-friendly materials including organic cotton and Tencel. It uses low-impact dyes in most of its products and reduct its climate impact and limits the amount of chemicals, water, and wastewater used in production. It ensures payment of a living wage in most of its supply chain. It traces most of its supply chain. Kowtow is rated "Great" overall.

We cannot imagine keeping a poorly paid tailor we know locked in a dimly lit basement workshop to make our clothes. Yet we put on clothes produced by a global apparel industry that has thrived on unsafe working conditions, “slave” wages, and, sometimes, the slavery of unpaid, coerced labor whose passports or other necessary documentation are held by factory owners as a way to keep workers tied to their jobs.

Kowtow ensures that its workers earn a living wage.

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Pact is a an essential clothing brand that is made to be not only comfortable and affordable, but also sustainable by making use of organic farming and sustainable dyes and crops. This is part of their work in creating the “Earth’s Favorite  Clothing” in terms of sustainability as well as their “good” rating in environment. They also recommend to their customers to be conscious of their environmental impact by considering more than just their clothing. For example, they put thought into their packaging and shipping as well as suggestions to give to their clothing donation program. This donation program and support of Fair Trade is the perfect embodiment to the thought, “We cannot remain indifferent once we become aware of the exploitation of workers around the world in ways that benefit us.”

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Fair Indigo is an organic clothing brand that is rated ‘Great’ overall by Good on You. It produces long-lasting clothing using non-toxic dyes with low impact and properly treats and discharges its wastewater. It has a formal statement on workers rights and makes sure that it pays its workers a living wage. Fair Indigo traces its whole supply chain and visits its suppliers on a regular basis. Its product range is completely vegan. Based on all of this information, the T-shirt is worth the $38.90.

The Human Thread article states that “Because the production of our clothing has moved from the textile factory nearby to places halfway around the world, this kind of marketplace blinds us from seeing the direct consequences of our consumer choices. As a result, and despite our good will, we have become unwitting perpetrators (or at least participants) of what Pope Francis has called the ‘globalization of indifference.’” Our choices as consumers directly affect the lives of the people who make our clothes. We have a moral responsibility to work to end the injustices we have inflicted upon so many people.

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I could use some more denim in my wardrobe, and I was happy to immediately see ARMEDANGELS: a denim company that has been environmentally-friendly since 2007. It uses Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) resources in a high proportion, and it also includes renewable energy processes to create the denim. It is rated “Great” by the Good on You organization, and has no reason to have a poor standard otherwise. In a fashion sense, I agree with Human Thread's quote which states, “God’s nature is communal and social; therefore our nature, created in his image, is communal and social as well.”

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This brand is not only ethically great for the planet, humans, and animals, it also offers humane jobs for women who have been formerly trafficked in Cambodia. This brand is 100% vegan and only uses gentle dyes. “We cannot imagine keeping a poorly paid tailor we know locked in a dimly lit basement workshop to make our clothes. Yet we put on clothes produced by a global apparel industry that has thrived on unsafe working conditions, “slave” wages” (Solicitudo Rei Socialis, 6) . This brand directly reflects what CST wants people to buy from. The brand is clearly well educated on the important of humane and sustainable fashion, and knows that it is important to educate on labor systems because of the easiness for it to be "Out of sight, out of mind".

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Tshirt made with recycled materials (Ryan)

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Tshirt made with recycled materials (Ryan)

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This tshirt is made with recycled materials which means it is eco friendly. By doing this, we are preserving the environment much better compared to other “unethical” brands that makes tshirts with materials that are hard to decompose/recycle. The Catholic Church also encourages recycling: “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Use these in the order listed. First reduce waste, reuse as much as you can and, once those two options are no longer available, then recycle”

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Glass Onion- Mickey Mouse Velva Sheen California Character T-Shirt Black/Green/Yellow Size Large

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Glass Onion- Mickey Mouse Velva Sheen California Character T-Shirt Black/Green/Yellow Size Large

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I chose this approximately, $21 USD t-shirt from Glass Onion because the company uses eco-friendly materials to produce their clothing, that ultimately is upcycled to prevent waste from ending up in landfills and instead put towards their clothes. The planet makes a clear benefit through not receiving so much waste by having materials upcycled and put towards production of the company’s clothing. The Human Thread article states that, “‘Solidarity helps us to see the ‘other’—whether a person, people or nation-not just as some kind of instrument, with a work capacity and physical strength to be exploited at low cost and then discarded when no longer useful, but as our ‘neighbor’”. The article aligns with the beliefs of the company and the belief that the cost of the consumer decision is about more than just the product, because solidarity is used in ensuring that workers receive equal and fair pay in their work environments throughout the production of the clothing products.

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I chose LA Relaxed, which is more of a athleisure brand, looking for sweats. This company uses a high portion of eco friendly materials in making their clothes therefore limiting their carbon footprint. In an article named The Human Thread, I read “Pope Francis has made it clear that our consumption implicates us in these injustices “to the least of our brothers and sisters” who are clothing us, but too often such connections remain hidden to us.” The Catholic Church’s teachings are heavily centered around what’s best for the common good and buying ethically produced clothes is a way to help out those who make the clothes.

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I choose this brand because it scored a 5 out of 5 for both people and planet. While it did not receive a score for animals, it outscores brands like H&M by far. The Classic T-Shirt Company produces clothes that are meant to last. They use   Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS) that are friendly with the environment. They also make their clothes locally. The human thread says, “we are free, they are not”. This quote illustrates how most consumers are capable of choosing brands that either support or hurt workers. For those who can afford it, purchasing clothes that are more sustainable and expensive should be prioritized

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MATE the Label make a positive impact on the planet by using a high proportion of eco-friendly materials, such as Global Organic Textile Standard cotton. Their entire product range is also 100% vegan. This is significant because as the Catholic Church states, “God’s nature is communal and social; therefore our nature, created in his image, is communal and social as well.” By making their products in a sustainable way, MATE the label helps to uphold this Catholic belief.

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Division is very good at making sure they are ethical.  It is a bit on the expensive side but that is because they really nail down their ethics. I would buy from here.

“The Church’s social doctrine holds that authentically human social relationships of friendship, solidarity and reciprocity can also be conducted within economic activity, and not only outside it or ‘after’ it.” (Caritas in Veritate, 36)

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This company uses organic textile cotton, grow with sustainable methods. They also use sustainable energy during production, which limits the amount of pollution that they produce, also the amount of contaminated/waste water that comes form he process. This positively affects the planet as most production uses gallons on gallons of water of single items, that do not last very long anyways. The consumer decision is about not only how the product is produced, but also sets a president on what we are and are not willing to take form companies

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LA Relaxed

“Organic Baby Tank”

LA Relaxed is rated a 5 out of 5 in terms of sustainability for animals, plants, and people. The ‘Human Thread’ Article states that, “When we were baptized we ‘put on Christ.’ But Christ also is hidden in the faces and lives of those who make the clothing that we ‘put on’ each morning.” LA Relaxed exemplifies these ideas in its brand consciousness around ethical sourcing and commitment to ethical employment. This brand is locally sourced eliminating its carbon footprint. It’s risk for poor working conditions is lowered since items in their final stage of production are held in the U.S which is a country that is at low risk for fostering unethical work environments. Furthermore the brand is completely vegan eliminating its risk on animal harm.

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Patagonia is committed to the Planet as it uses recycled and eco friendly materials. Not only do they reuse these materials but they also put in research on the effects of micro plastics. By investing in these ways of production, Patagonia has reduced their greenhouse gas emissions. In the human thread article they explain that “Now the road to Jericho runs far from our sight, past uncountable factories like Rana Plaza in Bangladesh. But these far winding roads nonetheless still end up in our own neighborhood and at our malls, bringing the clothes we wear and so much of what we consume”. The cost of the consumer decision is much more about the product because many lives are put at stake for us to easily be able to get clothing.

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Nube is both people and environmentally friendly. The brand seeks to display the works of artists on their clothing and 5% of sales go back to the artist. This is the opposite of fast fashion as it doesn’t follow trends but rather rewards originality. The clothing is also biodegradable, unlike most clothes that pollute the environment for hundreds of years.
“When the Good Samaritan saw the victim lying by the side of the road to Jericho, he did not remain indifferent. […] he began to do something about the plight of that person: he committed himself to change the victim’s situation.” The church believes we should all take into consideration the people that make our clothing, rather than simply thinking about the product we get. The church challenges us not to be indifferent to the problem that we all wear on our bodies. This ties into the CST theme of solidarity: to recognize that some parts of humanity are hurting and to do something about it.

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STORY mfg. has a positive impact on the environment because they use eco friendly materials such as organic cotton or manufacture their goods. Additionally, they make their products by hand with non-toxic dyes, which reduces the brand’s climate impact and minimizes their textile waste. They also use natural and materials to make their products, which are kind to the skin and the environment. On their website, they disclose the materials they use, along with each materials’ background and purpose. It is important to be aware of brands’ sustainability because “Almost without being aware of it, we end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people’s pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else’s responsibility and not our own.”

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Out of all major fashion companies, vans is certainly not the worst when it comes to the damage that they cause while making their products. Vans has made several decisions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They also try their best to use materials that are not harmful to animals and the environment. Vans uses wool from sheep that are non-mulesed. They also do not provide evidence that their workers earn a living wage. I personally have a pair of vans myself and think it is wrong that they do not provide evidence to back up their claims of being ethical. But, I also think it is good that they are publicly stating that they are making an effort to reduce the damage they cause.

“We are free; they are not” (Human Thread).

Erik Thompson

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These two shirts seem almost identical don’t they? Well the one on the left is $58 and the one on the right is $4.25. Now here’s the question: why is there such a large disparity  between the prices of these two shirts? To start, the brand on the left, The Classic T-Shirt company, produces clothing with fair trade and they use sustainable methods that benefit the environment by reducing carbon footprint. Its production is generally in America, which limits the exploitation of foreign workers and also ensures that they are being paid the just amount. This company also doesn’t use any animal testing for any of their products. The Target shirt is an example of fast fashion that exploits foreign workers that allows for such low prices. Their lack of fair pay and non environmentally friendly methods allow for the surplus of clothes produced by consumers. This is an example of the “slave labor” that Pope Francis alludes to and ecourages us to stop.

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$68
Although more than double the average price of a swimsuit top from a place like Target, Loop Swim is rated great on the website. They really focused on the environmental aspect of consumerism. The materials they use are eco-friendly and recycled. This use of eco-friendly materials limits toxins and chemicals that otherwise contaminate our water supply.
The Human Thread article expresses that “there is little doubt that few of us would ever enslave another person for our own gain… Yet we put on clothes produced by a global apparel industry that has thrived on unsafe working conditions, “slave” wages, and, sometimes, the slavery of unpaid, coerced labor whose passports or other necessary documentation are held by factory owners as a way to keep workers tied to their jobs”. This shows just how terrible fast fashion is and how the church promotes dignity of the human person rather than cheap clothes.

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With two 5 categories (planet and people), ARMEDANGELS is rated overall as Great. It specifically excels in the environmental aspect, focusing on incorporating eco-friendly materials. By using Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) cotton, ARMEDANGELS reduces the pollution and use of natural resources.

“Solidarity helps us to see the ‘other’—whether a person, people or nation-not just as some kind of instrument, with a work capacity and physical strength to be exploited at low cost and then discarded when no longer useful, but as our ‘neighbor,’ a ‘helper’ to be made a sharer, on a par with ourselves, in the banquet of life to which all are equally invited by God.” (Solicitudo Rei Socialis, 39).

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The brand SEEKER is rated very high for all categories of People, environment, and animals. They are based in Los Angeles and make unisex clothes for all ages. Their cotton is sourced ethically and they are part of the Fair Wear Foundation. They are also certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard which requires the clothing they produce to be at least 70% organic. They also need to manage their environmental impact closely. This goes with the CST, “rejecting the saying ‘ignorance is bliss.’”

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Armedangels is a Germany based clothing line that focuses not on fashion, but instead on making a change. They receive a 5/5 on both the Planet and the People section because of their oath to only use eco-friendly materials. The brand ensures proper payment of all the workers and uses the most sustainable materials. The price is higher than the average fast fashion brand that we have become accustomed to, but it will also last a lot longer. Ultimately, this brand prioritizes quality and change over quantity and money.

“Almost without being aware of it, we end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people’s pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else’s responsibility and not our own.”
-Human Thread